The new year is soon upon us. It’s a time for reflection, hopes and new dreams. So here’s a list of the top 5 people I’d like to meet in 2011.
People to meet – in no particular order
(Preferably early in 2011 if at all possible)
- Larry Page & Sergey Brin (Google co-founders). Why? Because even though the Cabinet Industry is a fly on the wall of your larger efforts, you should realize how close you are with Google SketchUp to getting every kitchen designer on the planet using your software…and secure yourself yet another multi-billion advertising revolution in home interior and exterior products…
- Richard Manoogian (Chairman of the Board for Masco), Timothy Wadhams (President, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Masco). Why? Because you’re positioned perfectly to do something truly wonderful for your cabinet dealers and the industry as a whole, while laying ground work for a competitive advantage that could be legendary.
- Bruce Carbonari (Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Fortune Brands) – Why? Because with so many cabinet brands under your roof, there’s much easier, cheaper and faster ways to make them all transparent to your dealers. While your investors are pressuring you to dump and run with a pure spirits play, you’re missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime in cabinets that could solidify you as #1 for decades to come.
- Larry Ellison (CEO of Oracle). Why? Because I’d like to know if you ever feel remorse on your 453 foot yacht (the Rising Sun) while your sales staff runs rampant in the Cabinet Industry telling tales and spinning voodoo that Oracle does everything. Meanwhile, the cost of customizing your software to even make it work in the Cabinet Industry rapidly makes for project disappointments and incredible budget overruns (all which aren’t realized until after the project is well under way). Can you really sleep at night while your sales staff uses their Jedi-mind tricks to pillage their way through our industry?
- Robert Niblock (CEO Lowes) & Frank Blake (CEO Home Depot). Why? Because, thankfully, you both never fulfilled your true capabilities selling kitchens and related products. Each one of your stores performs worse than an independent mom-and-pop cabinet operation who still thinks design is the sales process. With so many missing pieces to the puzzle, you’ve helped create a market where cabinet dealers can thrive. And with your large expenditures on marketing and advertising, you actually save cabinet dealers valuable budget dollars each year as they run circles around even your most successful stores.
